Nicole Mueller

Recent Posts

Health-conscious consumers jumped aboard the Greek yogurt craze by the millions in the last decade. In fact, the global Greek yogurt market is expected to reach $7.6 billion in sales by 2023, with a 7.6% CAGR.

While all yogurt contains calcium, potassium, protein and other important nutrients, Greek yogurt is lower in lactose and has twice the amount of protein of regular yogurt.

For years, health experts have claimed that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now, studies back this up, especially for those with chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. The research shows that a high protein breakfast has been proven to reduce obesity and diabetes.

The food industry — not pharmaceuticals — could hold the key to reducing the occurrence of diabetes and its strain on the healthcare system, as well as its financial strain on those with the disease.

While healthier foods continue to be a focus for consumers — and thus food manufacturers — the ways in which those foods are harvested, produced and packaged are becoming just as important, especially among Millennials.

Snack bars - including granola bars, protein bars and cereal bars - are taking up more real estate on grocery and convenience store shelves these days. The global snack bars market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% between 2018 – 2023.

Snack bars that offer health benefits and feature clean labels are one of the fastest growing segments in the market, and food manufacturers are working on formulations that combine nutrition and taste to appeal to a growing number of health-conscious consumers.

The popularity of the traditional soup and salad bar in restaurants is slowing a bit, according to the 2018 Soup & Salad Consumer Trend Report by Technomic. But that doesn’t mean these staples in the American diet have seen their day.

While soup and salad sales are lagging in some restaurant chains, others are getting creative with their offerings and capturing the attention of patrons (and capturing market share). Though some restaurateurs see the downward trend as a potential threat, others see it as an opportunity.

Fast-casual restaurants had a come-back year in 2017 compared to 2016. Sales for fast-casualsexceeded expectations for 2017 andgrew by 9%among the top 250 restaurant chains. They remain one of the most popular dining destinations across the country and have hit the sweet spot with consumers by offering higher quality, healthier options compared to traditional fast food restaurants, while still maintaining quick service and an affordable price range.

The sooner people are introduced to a product, the more likely they are to become loyal, lifelong customers. This is perhaps most notable when it comes to food and its influence on individuals. One study showed that your earliest recollections of meals as a child create strong, associative memories and can influence your psychological and physical well-being throughout your lifetime.

A recent report by Packaged Facts stated that “industry players must engage kids earlier and retain relationships through the teen years to realize full market potential.” Developing products that children love can have a significant impact on a food manufacturer’s future market share, but those products need to cater to families in different ways now than they did in the past.

The popularity of almond milk, soy milk, rice milk and other plant-based dairy alternatives continues to rise, and they’re forecast to represent 40% of the combined total of dairy and dairy alternative beverages.

A major contributing factor to the increased market share is the 36% of consumers who believe these non-dairy alternatives offer greater health benefits. Aside from a small percentage of the population that is allergic to dairy or chooses a vegan lifestyle, however, these marketing claims — among others — often don’t ring true.

Consumers in the U.S. eat more than 10 billion bowls of soup every single year. Tomato soup is the second favorite, topped only by chicken noodle. However, it’s hard to argue that any other is more versatile than creamy tomato soup which can be enjoyed on its own or used in other recipes such as chili, casseroles, stews, Mexican dishes, Italian classics and more.

July is National Ice Cream Month, but consumers continue to indulge all year long. To say that ice cream is a trend is a bit of a misnomer – after all, it’s been popular for centuries. In fact, Dolley Madison served ice cream as the featured dessert at the 1813 inaugural ball.